When it comes down to writing a great self-appraisal, a lot of questions come to mind. What are they used for? How are you supposed to promote yourself without coming off as a show-off? Is this really the best use of my time? For the last question, it honestly depends. For some companies, self-appraisals are nothing more than a formality; But used correctly, they can have a big impact on your career.

You’ve been a manager for some time, and you have a pretty good read on most people. Or, at least, you’d like to think you do. You strive to rate employees in the most objective way possible, but if you’re doing it based only from your own perspective, reviews are not as effective as they could be. If anything, they are really more of a reflection on yourself, not your employees or colleagues. Marcus Buckingham, in a Harvard Business Review article, states: “...on average, 61% of my rating of you is a reflection of me.”

Employee engagement is a popular topic in the HR space and has become a major challenge for businesses. A new generation in the workforce demands it, widespread use of technology enables it and a fast-paced environment makes its meaning ever clearer --  all the factors contribute to employee engagement becoming more important than ever. Companies with engaged employees outperform those without by up to 202%... the bottom line clearly proves its efficacy.